Terranigma: Decompilation and PC Port
A native PC port of Terranigma, built from a decompilation of the Japanese original. Where it stands, what comes next, and how to follow along.
What this is
A native PC port of Terranigma. Not an emulator with a fresh coat of paint, but the game itself, rebuilt in modern code from a decompilation of the original Japanese SNES version, Tenchi Souzou.
The first goal is simple: the game exactly as you remember it from 1995, running natively on your PC. For a look back at 1995, I leafed through the German strategy guide for it.
Where it stands
Most of the game is decompiled; the bar above shows how much. Right now Iām finishing the vanilla port, the plain game, faithful down to the frame. That has to be solid before anything else gets added.
What comes next
- Vanilla PC port: the original game, running natively. In progress.
- Enhanced Edition: the same experience, plus quality-of-life features and an improved translation.
- Definitive Edition: later, a much bigger modification with new features and new content. The core of the game and the way it feels stay as they are. Nothing gets changed just for the sake of change.
- Languages: German first, then English, then Japanese, translated from the original Japanese script.
A small preview
How itās made
I wanted to understand this game down to the individual bytes. Nobody left documentation behind, so the only way in was to read the machine code and watch it run. I record the original frame by frame in an emulator and hold my version against it until both behave the same.
That takes time, and itās often humbling. A few things that surprised me along the way:
- Damage isnāt rolled with dice. The variation comes from the frame counter; the actual random number generator is only used for status effects and critical hits.
- Treasure chests donāt live in a table. Theyāre part of each mapās loading list, mixed in with NPCs, doors and invisible triggers.
- For months, Ark walked straight through the villagers of Crysta, because a single script instruction had been translated as ādoes nothingā.
Most days are reading assembly, recording, comparing, being wrong and reading again. Not glamorous, but itās why the port plays by the same rules as the original.
About the Clear River Games release
Iāve been asked a few times what I think about the Terranigma release announced by Clear River Games.
From what has been shown so far, it appears to be an emulator-based version with some overlay features. From a technical point of view, those arenāt particularly hard to build.
What bothers me more is how the announcement was handled. The trailer initially used music by Martin Denk, a composer based in Germany, without his permission. After he reached out, he apparently received neither a response nor an apology, and the music was later quietly replaced with the original tracks.
I find that hard to support. At the same time, Iām genuinely happy to see this masterpiece become officially available to a much wider audience. Itās a mixed feeling.
My port is based on the original Japanese version and developed independently of that release. Whether owning their version should be required to use my port is something Iām still thinking about. Right now Iām leaning towards no.
Follow along
Development updates are posted here first, and this is where the port will be released. It stays free. If youād like to test once thereās something to test, German speakers especially, just get in touch on Discord or by mail.
Thanks for reading, and thank you for the support. It means a lot.